is theth book in the Conquest series by SJ Frost, This one features Brandon and Shunichi, This one addresses the very serious issue of bullying in high school, The author even gave some, or maybe it was all can't remember which of the proceeds of the sales of this book to The Trevor Project which is the volunteer organization that hopes to stop teen suicide by LGBTQ youth who are tormented due to their sexuality.
Dillon is tormented by Logan, your typical jock who likes to make everyone feel like crap, And because Dillon is gay, the principal and counselor are uncomfortable and disapproving of him and side with Logan, So Dillon gets beaten up and made to feel hopeless and to the point that he is toying with the idea of suicide just to end the misery because he doesn't see how things could/would get better.
But he loves the theater, and has seen Brandon perform several times and goes to his website and sees an ad for Shunichi's dojo and decides that he will go there to see about getting lessons to protect himself.
. . and maybe catch a glimpse of Brandon, While at the dojo, he does end up getting to meet Brandon and ends up spilling his problems to Brandon and Shun, Brandon, being the highly compassionate person he is, steps in and helps Dillon with coming out to his mom, getting the issues settled with school, and introducing him to the theater community.
In doing all this, Dillon makes new friends, and sees that there is hope and a reason for a great life, including the prospect of a really hot boyfriend he meets.
Evan and Jesse make a brief appearance, cause we can't go without seeing them :o It was an allaround feel good story, This was a cute short story that showcases Brandon and Shun from the Conquest series, I thought it was pretty good but it didn't blow me away, I liked learning more about Brandon and Shun but they aren't my favorite couple in the series because they've been glossed over, I think this short is an effort to learn more about Brandon and Shun, but you really end up learning more about Dillon, the young teenage boy they are trying to help.
I am addicted to the Conquest series, Like a good little addict I devoured this little morsel in no time, It was heaven to read more about Shunichi and Brandon's relationship, Having Jesse and Evan make a cameo appearance, that was just freaking cream cheese frosting on top, Yum!
Dillon's story is angsty and incredibly timely given all the horrible teen suicides in the recent past, His despair is tangible and believable, Luckily he has one awesome best friend and some well connected new friends, With Brandon, Shunichi, Jesse and Evan around, how could the story have anything but a happy, uplifting ending I am glad the author tackled this subject and extremely proud that both the author and editor donated their royalties to The Trevor Project.
This story is a winwin, Run out and buy it now, You'll get a fabulous story and The Trevor Project will get a much needed donation,
Read as part of my QGB QChallenge chosen by Courtney, Have I mentioned already that I love the Conquest series This book is an interesting look into Brandon's life with Shunichi, Also, this book touches on a very relevant topic in today's society Bullying and the desperation that those that are bullied feel when they do not see any way out.
A very good read and S, J. Frost brought a lot of sensitivity and hope to the forefront, A brilliant short story that I really enjoyed, S J Frost took a very important message and turned it into a heartwarming little story,
The problems gay teens face are very real and heartbreaking, This story did not hide from that fact, but offered hope that there is people who care about you and will support you, if you look hard enough to find them.
I will admit to being a fan girl of Jesse and Evan, and to see them again in this one as well as Brandon and Shun, was what made reading this a highlight for me.
The only problem I had with this, and I actually find it in all of the books of this series, is some of the dialogue seems a little forced, and not how real people talk.
It has never stopped me from loving these books though, Almost.stars
A slight detour from the main branch of the series,
At first sad, then sweet a bit preachy, yet moving, The final act in the auditorium is a fairytale revenge befitting a Hallmark movie
Another beautiful addition to an amazing series! Dillon was sweet, It was awesome to get to see more of Brandon and Shunichi, And Jesse and Evan were amazing as always,
I guess I'm confused as to why they would show up with paparazzi to a high school play, They had to have brought them on purpose, because other times in the books they've been able to dodge them since the paparazzi didn't know where the boys were going.
Did they do it just so they could make the principal look bad
Oh, and that's the other thing I had a hard time buying.
I work in education, granted not at the highschool level, but I can't imagine anyone not taking claims of bullying seriously, At least seriously enough to investigate even slightly before dismissing them,
I absolutely loved the message that if you can be strong enough to do things that might scare you a little, like signing up for karate or joining the drama club, that you can find some amazing people who have things in common with you that you never would have expected.
I also liked that Dillon learned that it's okay to depend on other people and to open up to them,
Another beautiful, hopeful look at the effects of bullying and how they can be overcome, This really shouldnt have counted as a full volume
for the series, Not merely because of the lack of romance, I mean Brandon and Shun got to screw around a bit and in the end young Dillon was set up with another impossibly talented and handsome teenage boy, but yeah.
This was a Message Story,
And yes, bullying and teenage suicide are extremely serious issues and need to be addressed, Thing is, when you try to do a story about a kid considering suicide, you need to put more something into it, I guess I am grateful for the fact that this story is lacking said something because the stories that get it right usually also break my heart and spirit and traumatize me and I can do without that when this is a reality to so many.
Its just such a clumsy piece, Yeah, I get that the author relishes telling the bullies off at least in a story, because most of us have felt the burning need to do that at some point in our lives.
But everythings just so forced, so woefully heavyhanded,
Thus, no points for this one, except for intention, I did get a tiny bit of Jesse/Evan fun out of it so I suppose that was worth something, but even that did not quite reach the usual levels of awesome.
Anyway. Next up is what I suppose will be a real book, not just the author clumsily trying to shove Important Messages down our throats, ltIt read more as a teaching story to me, with the main characters of the series coming together to help out ayear old boy, A good story but not what i was looking for, A tear jerker but with laughs along the way,
Not really part of the Conquest series as such, its still worth reading, not only for another glimpse of Jesse and Brandon interacting, but also for the deeper message.
Unfortunately most of the people that should read this, bullies and biggots, wont, so the message is more preaching to the choir kinda thing, but its still a worthwhile read.
Plus after the sorrow you get the entertainment lol,
ETA A sweet read once you get past the sorrow, This is an adorable addition to the Conquest Series, It is short and sweet but it does show how hurtful people can be with things they don't agree with or understand, here at least the ending is a good one.
This is theth book of the Conquest series, This one is really more of a step out of the series to show an important message, Dillon is a victim of bullying at his school, Like many teens he feels he has no where to go, Dillon decides he could benefit from martial arts training with the plus that the dojo is run by the partner of Brandon Alexander, an actor he has greatly admired for a while.
I enjoyed getting to see the characters from the series as they dealt with an important issue facing the world today, I think the "message" in the book is important and worth getting out there, Okay I wasn't expecting to cry with this book, It was a very touching story and I liked the end, Of course our hotty Jesse makes an appearance and some wise cracks to enjoy, . . lol God I love Jesse, . he makes the whole series, I did agree with Dillon though, Jesse is lucky to have Brandon as a brother, Brandon is such a compassionate person in this book, and because of his compassion I fell in love with him more than I already had, For Brandon to reach out and help Dillon without knowing him very well but could tell the teen needed a friend was admirable, More people should be like this because unfortunately there are so many suicides that happen to teens that are being bullied, Dillon's story made me cry and I'm glad he finally found his voice, REVIEWED FOR PRISM BOOK ALLIANCE
,Stars
The fourth book in the Conquest series is short and very different to the previous books in the series,
We get to see more of Brandon and Shun but the story is about Dillon, a young man still in school trying to navigate coming to terms with his sexuality whilst being bullied daily.
Hiding it from his mother nobody really knows the depth of his pain or his feeling of utter helplessness about the situation,
Dillon has long been a fan of Brandon and his work in the theatre and when he sees his partner Shun has a dojo nearby he pays a visit.
If he can learn a little selfdefence and get to meet his idol at the same time he will be a happy boy,
He does meet Brandon and finds himself telling both men about his problems which strike a chord with Brandon when he thinks back to his own abusive relationship with his father.
Both men are keen to help Dillon but when circumstances worsen at school they dont see the young man for the next week,
For me it ended a bit too quickly, Dillon was one of the lucky ones who found people to help him, I just wish reality was the same for everyone struggling with the same problems, This was a sweet, heartwarming novella, with a special message in it,
Dillon Davis isyears old and a junior in high school, He's a nice young man with a loyal best friend, a mother that a adores him and a great love for theater and everything associated with it he's also gay.
Beingand homosexual in and of itself is a lot to deal with sometimes, but add to that the incessant bullying he receives from a senior in his school and Dillon is boarderline suicidal.
He feels like he has no where to turn and no one he can trust, Until, when looking into karate classes, he meets Brandon Alexander and his partner, Shunichi Miyamoto, Merely meeting Brandon goes a long way to lifting Dillon's spirits, but when Logan's cruel taunts and violent behavior find Dillon as their target once more, it's almost more than Dillon can take.
I wept for Dillon in parts of this book, It's rather easy to see how a single person's hateful actions can effect another and, in fact, we do see if every day in real life, And if nothing else, we hear about it on the news, especially recently with all the teenage suicides brought on by bullying, In this story Brandon and Shunichi stepped in, they befriended someone that needed them more than they knew and in many ways, they saved Dillon, In reality, every single day there is someone, somewhere that simply needs a friend, Maybe we don't see it often, and maybe we don't notice it when we do, but if given half a chance, I implore all of you, be someone's Brandon Alexander.
Kudos to S, J. for writing this endearing tale,
S. J. Frost and her editor Kris Jacen are donating their royalties from this book to The Trevor Project, Well done ladies, you rock!!,